Bravely Default 2: How to Beat Prince Castor

Prince Castor is the final boss of Chapter 1 of Square Enix's JRPG Bravely Default 2. The prince of Savalon initially starts out as an ally to the party, but then reveals that he wants to keep the Water Crystal for himself and challenges the four heroes to battle.

Prince Castor holds the Berserker Asterisk, which allows him to perform strong physical attacks which do massive damage. This guide covers how to survive Castor's onslaught and claim the Berserker Asterisk for yourself:

Preparing to Fight Prince Castor

Prince Castor is located on the balcony on the second floor of the royal palace in Savalon. Simply entering the room will trigger the boss battle with him, so be prepared before heading in.

Buy some Phoenix Downs from the store before challenging the Prince, as some of his heavy attacks can knock out a party member in one hit. Ethers are also recommended, as you will likely be using some magic attacks against Prince Castor.

Best Jobs for Fighting Prince Castor

When challenging Prince Castor, the jobs your party will have access to are Freelancer, Black Mage, Vanguard, White Mage, Monk, Bard, Beastmaster, and Thief.

Vanguard and Monk are excellent choices due to the former's high defense and the latter's solid defense and evasion. Having a White Mage is also highly recommended to heal and revive your party.

A Beastmaster can be helpful against Prince Castor. The monsters around Savalon, including those located in the Ruins, Underground Waterway, and Abandoned Mansion dungeons, can deal a lot of damage in battle. The Beastmaster also has access to powerful physical attacks which can chip away at Castor's high HP.

Recommended sub-jobs include Black Mage, Bard, and Freelancer. The Bard can buff the party's defense, while the Black Mage can poison Castor to drain his HP every turn. Lastly, Freelancer always comes in handy if you need to restore a character's MP or heal negative status conditions.

You will have acquired the Thief job just before challenging Prince Castor. If you want to use this job, take some time to fight monsters and level up, as the Thief needs a few levels to learn powerful attacks. However, keep in mind that Prince Castor does hold an item that a Thief can steal from him in battle.

Best Equipment for Fighting Prince Castor

Prince Castor's attacks are primarily physical, so focus on wearing armor that increases physical defense as much as possible.

At least one character should be wearing an Iron Bangle to increase their HP. This is because Castor hits hard and you want at least one character to survive and revive the others.

Prince Castor is weak to Daggers and Bows, so these make great weapon choices for your party members.

He does have one attack that uses the Water element, so Water Charms are a recommended accessory.

Bravely Default 2 Prince Castor fight

Prince Castor has four moves that he uses in battle. They are:

• Vent Fury - Prince Castor goes berserk for three turns, lowering his defense but significantly boosting his attack
• Crescent Moon - an AOE attack that hits the entire party
• Shell Split - a single-target attack that lowers the target's physical defense
• Water Damage - a single-target attack which does Water elemental damage

Prince Castor's HP is high, but he will not heal himself, so the Poison spell is a great choice to drain some HP from him each turn. He's also weak to the Water element, so a Black Mage can use the Blizz- line of spells or a Beastmaster can unleash a Water-aligned monster. A Cait Sith (found in the Abandoned Mansion) is a great option because it has a chance of freezing Prince Castor.

Your Vanguard should frequently be using Aggravate or Enrage to direct Prince Castor's attacks towards them, as more fragile party members such as mages may not be able to survive his Berserk-enhanced hits.

When he is Berserk, his attacks will do more damage, but his defense is also decreased. This is a great time to break out your hardest-hitting attacks.

Defaulting is not particularly useful against Prince Castor, as the Berserker's special ability is to ignore the extra defense provided by the Default command. Instead, focus on a steady offense and bringing that high HP pool down as quickly as possible.

Finally, remember that both Gloria and Seth have the ability to use Special Attacks at this point due to being blessed by the Crystals. Take advantage of these extra-powerful abilities whenever they are available.

Prince Castor's boss fight is a tricky one, but defeating him allows you to claim the powerful Berserker Asterisk for yourself, and unleash his heavy damage moves against future enemies.

Bravely Default 2 is currently available for the Nintendo Switch. Check out TechRaptor's other guides to help you as you journey to save the Crystals. Start off with our beginner's guide.